Minimally invasive spinal surgeries are known. Such procedures include an implant directed to be inserted between a pair of adjacent vertebrae. The insertion of the implant is done through a surgical corridor which is formed by an instrument such as a retractor with retractor blades. The surgical corridor is dimensioned to allow the implant to pass through so as to place the implant into a surgical site. Accordingly, the retractor blades hold the muscles apart for the duration of the implant process.
However, it is known that the extension of muscle at a surgical site for a prolonged period of time has a direct relationship to the recovery time for a patient. In particular, the longer the retractor holds the muscles apart the longer the recovery time. The muscles are held apart to form the surgical corridor for not only the period of time needed to insert the implant into the surgical site, but also the time to fill the space within the implant body with bone graft material. Accordingly, it remains desirable to have a guide configured to reduce the expansion time of the muscles so as to minimize recovery time.
Further, current retractors provide a surgical corridor for which the implant is passed through. The surgical corridor provides a predetermined amount of tolerance between the inner surface of the retractor blades and the outer surface of the implant. Thus, the surgeon passes the implant through the surgical corridor free handed. Accordingly, it remains desirable to have a guide configured to retain the implant along an axial path of the surgical corridor towards the surgical site.